


To Be Young and in Love in New York City (Peter Parker X Reader)

by bisexualstevierogers



Series: To Be Young and in Love in New York City [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Adopting a dog, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Promposal, Sharing a Bed, So many cliches, i just love this fic okay, this is purely self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:04:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualstevierogers/pseuds/bisexualstevierogers
Summary: The Fake Dating AU no one asked for, filled with every cliche in the book.





	To Be Young and in Love in New York City (Peter Parker X Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> Peter and the reader are both juniors, so they are 16/17!! Loosely based off/inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!! Peter and Ned are bi and _y/n_ and Ned are bros (: Feat. some of the other Avengers because they all get along in this (Civil War happened but they’re all friends again now)!! also...there are so many cliches and this is SO self indulgent lmao I'm sorry!! Infinity War didn't happen in this fic 💖 I started this literally five months ago...and finally figured I should edit it and post it :^) This is the longest thing I’ve ever written so I really hope you guys enjoy!

“You want us to fake date?” You asked, staring at your friend Peter in disbelief.

Peter had dropped by after school to help you with some homework, but after working diligently for twenty minutes the words that left his mouth were not what you were expecting at all.

Peter nodded.

“Why?”

Peter scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Mr. Stark has been trying to set me up with the daughter of one of his co-workers and I'm sure she’s nice, but between school and being Spider-Man, I just don't have the time or energy to date somebody.”

“And you can't just tell Mr. Stark that?”

“I tried!” Peter said with a frown. “Mr. Stark won't listen to me. He's not going to stop trying, and even if I go on one date with her then end it, I'm sure Mr. Stark will try to set me up with someone else. He thinks that a relationship would be good for me.”

“I actually think he might be right.”

Peter looked at you, the betrayal evident on his face. “Huh?”

You rolled your eyes at him playfully. “Maybe if you were in a relationship you'd use that big brain of yours and think a little more before throwing yourself into dangerous situations.”

Peter had told you a while back about what happened last year with Liz’s dad, and you were understandably pissed. He had been reckless and put himself in serious danger more times than you could count.

“_y/n_…” Peter whined. “I just don't want to be in a real relationship right now.”

“But you can handle being in a fake one?” You questioned with an arched eyebrow.

“There's no real commitment with a fake relationship! And I already hang out with you anyways so it's not like it'll be adding stuff to my schedule.”

You sighed before locking eyes with Peter. “Why me?”

Peter looked at you in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Why me? I'm not your only friend. You could fake date MJ or Ned just as easily as me.”

“We both know MJ would never agree to fake date me, and Ned said he'd be fine with it except he didn't want things to be weird with him and Aunt May when we broke up.”

“There's gonna be a break up?”

Peter shrugged. “At some point, yeah. I don't want to be in a fake relationship forever.”

You nibbled on your lower lip subconsciously as you thought it over. “How long do you think this fake relationship will last?”

“Not sure, probably just a couple of months.”

You nodded in understanding. “So...what do I get out of it?”

Peter raised an eyebrow at you. “What do you want?”

You thought about it for a moment. “I want to try on the suit.”

“My Spidey suit?” Peter asked in disbelief.

“Yes, and-”

“There's more?” Peter interrupted.

“I'm making myself unavailable from a real relationship to be in a fake one, and believe it or not some of us are tired of being single, so yes, there's more.”

“Go on.”

“If we're still fake dating by the time prom rolls around, you’ll go with me.”

“Deal.”

“And…” You paused, feeling embarrassed.

“What else, _y/n_?” Peter asked gently.

“If either of us end up...actually liking the other we won't let it ruin our friendship.”

Peter’s eyes were wide. “Do you think that'll happen?”

“I don't know.” That was a lie. You had developed a crush on Peter only recently, but you were pretty sure that fake dating each other wasn’t a good idea when you actually did want to date him. “If we have to kiss each other a lot then maybe.”

“We, uh, have to kiss?”

Your cheeks flushed. “I mean, I don't know! I don't know what kind of convincing Mr. Stark will need. It's up to you.”

Peter paled suddenly. “I totally didn't think this through.”

“We don't have to kiss, Peter, I just wasn't sure if you thought we should.”

You were both silent for a moment.

“Maybe we shouldn't do this.” You offered when the silence became unbearable. “Maybe you could have Aunt May talk to Mr. Stark.”

Peter ran a hand through his hair anxiously. “The problem is that I don't want to hurt his feelings. I know he's just trying to help.”

Peter looked at you oddly before scooting closer to you. “Besides, I don't have anything against kissing you. And you said you were tired of being single, so it would be kind of nice to have someone you can kiss, right?”

“Right.” You admitted, feeling your heart flutter in your chest as Peter's eyes met yours.

“Can I kiss you?” Peter asked gently, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek.

“Yes.” You answered hesitantly, and Peter carefully leaned in and brushed a feather light kiss across your lips.

When Peter pulled away and smiled at you, you realized just how screwed you were. You already wanted to kiss him again.

“So, _y/n_, you wanna be my fake girlfriend?”

You plastered on a smile even though you felt like frowning. “Of course, Peter.”

\----------

“You totally did this on purpose, didn't you?” You hissed into the phone after Peter had gone.

“I don't know what you're talking about, _y/n_.” Ned answered easily, and you wanted nothing more than to hang up on him.

“You are the only person that knows that I like Peter and now he wants me to fake date him because you said no!”

“Well I obviously couldn't say yes.” Ned replied and he sounded offended.

“Why not?”

You could hear Ned’s muffled chuckle through the phone. “You'd be totally jealous if I was fake dating Peter and I couldn't do that to you.”

“I would...not.” It fell flat even to your own ears.

“I rest my case.”

“You didn't tell him that I...you know...right?”

You could hear Ned rolling his eyes. “Of course I didn't. I would never tell him that _y/n_, you know that. I gotta go, he's coming over to work on some stuff.”

“You can say that he's coming over to play with Legos, Ned.” You answered back with a chuckle.

“Talk to you later, _y/n_. Love you.”

“Love you too, Ned. Bye.”

After the emotional day you had had, you decided it was time for bed. As you drifted to sleep, your last thought was of how good a certain fake boyfriend’s lips felt against yours.

\----------

“I think we need to set up some rules.” You announced as you took your seat next to Peter at lunch.  
  
“About what?” Peter asked, and you were startled momentarily as his arm wound around your waist.  
   
“About, um, boundaries. What are you doing exactly?”

“Well, since you're being so gracious in deciding to fake date me, it only seems fair that we do some of the stuff couples do, right? I am stealing you away from someone you could actually be doing that with.”

“I wouldn't say you're stealing her away from anybody.” Ned said with a chuckle as he sat down across from you. You kicked him in the shin and shot him a look that said ‘Please be quiet’.

Luckily for you, Peter didn't seem to notice. He was too busy reading the list of guidelines you had written out earlier when you couldn't focus in first period.

“‘_y/n_ gets to try on the Spidey suit whenever she wants.’ I didn't agree to that.” Peter said with a chuckle as he turned to look at you.

“It's a rough draft.” You said sheepishly. Ned reached across the table and grabbed your notebook before you could stop him.  

“‘Kissing is fine whenever both parties are in agreement.’ You guys are actually going to be kissing? I thought you just had to make Mr. Stark believe that you were dating.”

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. “Mr. Stark has people everywhere.”

“‘Peter will hold _y/n_’s hand as often as she likes.’” Ned read, laughing as he did so. “You're gonna be holding her hand literally all the time, Peter.”

Peter smiled at you and slipped one of his hands into yours, giving it a squeeze. “I don't see a problem with that.”

As your cheeks flushed, Ned shared a look with MJ, who had finally joined your table. They were both suddenly realizing that this could either go horribly wrong or incredibly well. Ned hoped for your sake that it would be the latter. 

\----------

“What should I tell my parents?” You and Peter had stayed after school got out to finalize the list and finish up some homework before the weekend.

The list now looked like this:

_-_y/n_ gets to try on the Spidey suit when Peter says it's okay_

_-Peter will hold _y/n_’s hand as often as she wants_

_-Kissing is fine whenever both parties are in agreement_

_-Peter and _y/n_ will go on one outing a month unless Peter is really busy_

_-Peter and _y/n_ have to act VERY couply in front of Mr. Stark_

_-Peter and _y/n_ can tell anyone they want about the relationship being fake except for Mr. Stark or anyone super close to Mr. Stark_

_-If Peter and _y/n_ are still in a fake relationship during prom season, they will go to prom together_

_-If Peter or _y/n_ end up liking the other, they will not let it ruin their friendship_  
   
Peter glanced up from his homework. “What do you mean?”

“Should I tell them that we're just pretending to date? Or should I tell them that we're actually dating?”

“Depends. Do you think your parents would understand if you told them we were just pretending?”

You thought about it for a moment. “No, probably not.”

Peter nodded. “May either. I told her this morning.”  

“You told her already?”

“Well yeah, I can't keep anything a secret from her for long.”

“What'd she say?” You asked curiously.

“She said she was happy for me and that she thought you'd be good for me.”

You grinned. “I love her.”

“She invited you over for dinner tonight, do you wanna go?”

“Of course.” You answered automatically. “Just let me text my parents and we can head over.”

Peter smiled at you and began putting his stuff away while you typed out a quick text.

_Heading to Peter's for dinner. Not sure when I'll be back, I'll text you later. Love you!_

You sent the same message to your mom and your dad before shoving your phone in your pocket and following Peter out of the school. 

\----------  
  
“_y/n_! I'm so glad you could join us for dinner. Peter told me the good news, I'm happy that Peter finally pulled his head out of his-”

“Mayyy,” Peter chimed in, giving her a look that you didn't understand. _Finally?_

She rolled her eyes before flashing you an apologetic smile. “Peter told me that mac and cheese is your favorite, so that's what we were going to have.”

“Were going to?” You asked in amusement.

Aunt May chuckled and pulled a pot off the stove, showing you the contents. A majority of the pasta was overcooked and inedible, but some of the cheese hadn't even melted at all. It looked like Aunt May had also maybe added too much pepper.

“Don't worry, there's a Panera just down the street we can walk to.” Aunt May said cheerfully.

“Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden.”

Peter wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “You could never burden us. Besides, we probably would’ve ended up getting takeout anyway.”

Aunt May glanced between the two of you with a huge smile on her face. It made your heart sink. This relationship with Peter was all a lie. Sure, you really did have feelings for Peter, but your fake relationship would end at some point and Aunt May would be heartbroken.

You forced a smile onto your face as Aunt May bustled you out of the kitchen. You remembered as she opened the door that it was starting to get cold, especially in the evening. You were wearing a long sleeve Midtown High shirt, but you knew it wouldn’t help much in fighting the chill outside.

“Can I borrow a jacket, Peter?” You asked quietly, and Peter nodded immediately.

“Of course, one sec.” He ran into his room and came back out a moment later with a grey zip up hoodie. “Here you go.” Peter helped you put it on and zipped it up for you. His fingers lingered on the zipper for a moment.

His eyes met yours, and he raised his eyebrows, silently asking you for permission. You gave him a small nod along with a smile. Peter smiled back before leaning in and giving you a very quick peck on your lips.

May looked like she was about to faint, she was so happy. Peter slipped his hand into yours and pulled you out the door.

The walk to Panera was short, but on the way, you noticed that Peter’s jacket smelled like cinnamon and candy. It was kind of an odd combination, but not a bad one. Peter and May chatted quietly while you just listened contently.

You arrived at Panera within the next few minutes, ordered your food, got your drinks, and found a table.

You were all chatting idly when your waiter showed up and began depositing the food on the table. When he got to your order, he hesitated to hand you your plate, allowing his fingers to brush against yours.  
   
“Enjoy your meal, beautiful.” He said, smiling widely at you before he left. You could tell your cheeks were flaming red.  
  
Peter was sitting stone still beside you, glaring at the waiter’s retreating form, while Aunt May was chuckling to herself.  
  
“Get used to that, you two. For some reason, women become a thousand times more attractive when they're unavailable.”

Peter was a much better actor than you previously thought; he actually looked pissed that the waiter had flirted with you. You placed a hand on Peter's thigh and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He smiled weakly at you and began to eat his food, so you did the same. 

You were finishing up your meal when the waiter came back out and started grabbing empty plates and bowls. He also dropped a napkin right in front of you with his name and phone number on it.

 _718-783-5687  
_ _Call me sometime, cutie? -Harry_  

You could feel Peter once again tense up beside you. You thought about taking the napkin and just throwing it away, but you didn't want to be rude. You grabbed the napkin and walked over to where the waiter was dumping garbage and stacking the dirty dishes to be brought to the kitchen.

“It was very sweet of you to give me your number, but I'm in a happy relationship so I think you should save this for somebody else.” You tucked the napkin into one of the pockets on his apron and gave him a sweet smile, trying to let him know there were no hard feelings. “Have a good day, Harry. It was nice meeting you.”

He smiled back, a little sadly, and you made your way back to your table.

“You guys ready to go?” Aunt May and Peter nodded, so you walked out of the restaurant with Peter’s hand once again in yours.

Peter gazed at you on the walk back to his and May’s apartment like he couldn't quite figure you out.

\----------

You and Peter decided to spend some time in his room when you got back from dinner.

Peter shut the door and took a seat on his bed before gesturing for you to do the same.

“What's up, Pete?” The expression on his face was much more serious than what you were used to.

“Did you think that guy was cute?”

“At Panera? Yeah, I guess he was cute. Why?”

Peter frowned. “Because I feel like a jerk.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “How so?”

“I'm making you be in this fake relationship with me when there are people out there who want to be in real relationships with you. I'm being selfish.”

You rolled your eyes. “First off, you're not making me do anything. I make my own choices. Second, who says I want to be in a real relationship?”

“You said you were tired of being single.”

“Yeah, I was.” You agreed with a shrug. “But I have you now to kiss and hold hands with, don't I?”

Peter turned to look at you fully, and you realized for the second time that Peter was a much better actor than you gave him credit for, because the way he was looking at you almost had you convinced that you were actually his girlfriend.

The moment was cut short when your phone chimed with a text.

“I should check that.” You said, breaking eye contact as you dug your phone out of your pocket.

_We’re going to a party and won't be home until late, do you have a key to get in?_

You checked your backpack before you remembered that you left it in one of your purses at home.

_No, I must've left it in one of my purses. Is the spare under the mat?_

You received a response only a few seconds later.

_Your dad’s been using the spare because he lost his and we haven't made a new one yet. Is it okay with May if you stay at Peter’s? We've already left and if we turn around now we’ll be late._

You groaned in disbelief, and Peter looked over at you curiously. You showed him your phone instead of trying to explain.

Peter chuckled. “I'm sure it's fine with May but I'll go check anyways.” Peter padded out of the room and you flopped back onto his bed, making yourself comfortable.

It was getting kind of late, and you were almost asleep when he came back into the room.

“May said I can sleep on the couch or in here with you. It's up to you.”

You mumbled something unintelligible. Peter grabbed your phone and typed out a quick response.

_may said it's fine if she stays over tonight! have fun at your party (: -peter_

Peter put your phone beside you and snagged a pillow off his bed, preparing to go sleep on the couch.

“Where are you going?” You asked sleepily. Peter looked down at you curiously. “Stay.”

“Okay.” Peter put the pillow back but left the room anyway to go brush his teeth. When he returned, you had migrated to the left side of the bed, leaving him enough space to climb in on the right.

Peter thought you'd be dead asleep, but as soon as he laid down, you curled closer to him, resting your head on his chest.

Peter wondered vaguely if you would remember how fast his heart was thumping tomorrow.

He pressed a kiss to your cheek before realizing that you were practically asleep and no one was watching you. He hadn't _needed_ to kiss you. Peter eyes grew wide as it clicked that he had kissed you because he wanted to.

Oh, he was _so_ screwed now.

\-----------

The shrill ringing of your phone woke you up. At least, you thought it was your phone. You blindly reached around towards the sound before reluctantly opening your eyes and swiping to answer the phone.

“Hello?” You asked, mind still fuzzy with sleep.

“You're not Peter.” The voice on the other line said in surprise.

You looked down at the phone in confusion, and your eyes widened when you saw the contact name.

_Mr. Stark AKA Iron Man 😎_

“Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry. I thought this was my phone. Just gimme a sec and I'll wake Peter up.”

Peter looked so peaceful when he was sleeping that you hated to wake him up. But Mr. Stark was waiting, so with a sigh you started gently shaking his shoulder.

It took only a few moments before he blinked sleepily up at you. “Good morning.” He said sweetly.

You smiled at him, resisting the urge to give him a good morning kiss even though you wanted to. “Mr. Stark is on the phone.” You said apologetically, handing him his phone. “I answered it thinking it was mine, sorry.”

“No worries.” Peter sat up as he pressed the phone to his ear. “Hi, Mr. Stark.”

You grabbed your phone from beside Peter and started scrolling through your various social media apps while trying to not eavesdrop on Peter’s conversation with Mr. Stark.

Their conversation went on for a couple minutes with nothing too important being said. You looked up when you heard your name.

“_y/n_ slept over.” Mr. Stark said something you couldn't hear. “What? No, I didn't _sleep_ with her!” Peter hissed quietly into the phone, his cheeks flaming.

Your cheeks flushed too at what Mr. Stark was implying.

“I, uh, I gotta go Mr. Stark.” You didn't miss the way Peter’s voice had gone up several notches. “Yes, I'll ask her about the party.”

 _“Love ya, kid.”_ Was the only thing you had distinctly heard through the phone, and it made you smile.

“Love you too, Mr. Stark. Bye!” Peter looked relieved and embarrassed as he hung up the phone. He looked over at you cautiously. “Sorry about Mr. Stark.”

You chuckled. “No worries, Peter. Anyway,” You raised an eyebrow at him. “What's this about a party?”

“Mr. Stark wanted to know if you'd be coming to his Christmas party with me.”

“Of course! I'd love to meet Mr. Stark. And I love Christmas. It's a win-win for me!” You answered cheerfully.

You glanced down at your phone to respond to a text from Ned, so you missed the sweet smile that Peter shot you, as well as the semi-sad look in his eye.

\----------

Almost three months had passed since you and Peter had begun fake dating, and the day of Mr. Stark’s party arrived. It was a Christmas party, but he had decided to host it on New Year’s Eve so his guests could spend Christmas day with their families.

You were currently video chatting with Peter as you tried to decide what to wear.

“Are we supposed to match?” You asked curiously. “Like is that a thing couples do for parties?”

Peter's eyebrows knitted together adorably. “I don't know, honestly. Do you think we should?”

“If we can find stuff that matches, sure.” You stopped pawing through your closet as you heard a knock on the door. “Be right back, Pete.”

You opened the door, expecting to find a neighbor or delivery person or something, but you were instead surprised to find a box with your name on it on your doorstep.

You glanced around curiously before shrugging and bringing the box inside.

You dropped it on your bed and began to open it. When you saw what was inside, you gasped.

It was a beautiful sparkly red dress, and as you pulled it out, a note fell onto your bed.

_Hope you don't mind, I had May pick this out. Tell Parker to wear something nice. -TS_

Aunt May had done a great job picking it out; the dress was absolutely gorgeous. It had thin spaghetti straps and the neckline was v shaped. The dress was a little shorter than what what you would normally wear, but it was a party and you couldn't turn down Mr. Stark’s gift. The dress was flowy, but nipped in at the waist for some definition.

“Do you have a red button up, Peter? Or a red tie?” You asked when you remembered that your call was still connected.

“I think I have a white button up and I can check for a red tie.” Peter responded after a moment of thought.

“Great! You responded, smiling at Peter. “I have to change, you're picking me up at 7, right?”

“Right.”

“See you then!” You pressed the button to end the video chat. Or, rather, you thought you did. You had actually just muted Peter. He could hear you, but you couldn't hear him.

Peter chuckled when he realized that the call hadn't ended.

“Hey, _y/n_, I think you hit the wrong button.” Peter said politely. You made no move to suggest that you heard him, and in fact, as Peter saw you begin to lift your shirt over your head, he realized you definitely **hadn't**.

Peter's mouth dropped open as he saw that you weren't wearing a bra. Your hands moved to your pants, and Peter finally snapped out of the trance he was under and ended the call.

He immediately felt guilty for not ending the call sooner. He had tried, but he just couldn't get his hands to move.

Feeling like the biggest jerk ever, Peter started to change too, deciding that he would tell you later about what happened and apologize.

\----------

Any thought Peter had about his accidental peep show was quickly wiped from his mind as you walked towards his car.

Your _h/c_ hair was down in loose waves, your lips were painted red and looked incredibly kissable, and your dress. _Wow_.

Peter considered himself to be a gentleman and he knew that looking a woman up and down could be rude, but that didn't stop him from doing exactly that.

The dress was red and sparkly, and it was shorter than anything Peter had seen you wear before. There was also more cleavage showing than usual, and Peter had to purposely drag his eyes up as you sat in the passenger seat beside him.

“Don't you look handsome,” You said, only a little teasingly. And he definitely did. Peter was wearing black slacks, a white button up, and a red bowtie. His hair, which was usually adorably messy, was slicked to one side. You reached a hand out to adjust his bowtie, but it was really just an excuse to touch him.

It was times like these where you wished you were really dating. He looked so good that you wanted to tell him to just forget about the party so you could spend the evening kissing him instead.

“Thank you,” Peter said shyly. “You look stunning.”

You blushed, pleased at the compliment. “Thank you, Peter.”

\----------

The drive to Mr. Stark’s party took almost an hour, but neither of you minded. You were having fun singing along to the radio with Peter and watching the city as it passed by you.

Peter, meanwhile, was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the road when all he wanted to do was watch you.

When you arrived at last to Mr. Stark’s party, Peter parked and then got out to open the door for you.

“Thank you,” You said, smiling at him as you took his hand.

You made your way to the entrance hand in hand, and you couldn't help the pang it sent through your heart. Being with Peter felt so natural, so right, that sometimes you forgot it was all pretend.

You were greeted at the door by none other than Pepper Potts.

“Hi Peter, _y/n_.” She greeted you both with a warm smile. “The main party is on the first floor, but if you need to take a breather or want to go somewhere quiet, the second floor will also be open. If you want a snack, just flag down a waiter. I've also already told the waiters that you're underage, so they'll have sparkling cider for you both.”

“Thank you, Pepper.” Peter said politely.

You were still staring at her in awe. “Ms. Potts, I'm a huge fan of yours.” You admitted. “I think you're doing an amazing job with Stark Industries. You have been a huge inspiration to me for so long.”

Pepper looked very flattered as she patted your shoulder. “You're very sweet, _y/n_. Peter got very lucky with you, didn't he?”

“I sure did.” Peter responded with a smile, turning and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

You and Peter made your way into the party, and you were immediately waved over by Mr. Stark himself.

“Peter!” Tony said, smiling widely as you approached him. “And you must be _y/n_.” Mr. Stark turned to look directly at you as he offered you his hand to shake. “It's nice to finally meet you. Peter has told me so much about you.”

You raised an eyebrow at Peter curiously. “He has?” Mr. Stark nodded. “Only good things, I hope.”

Mr. Stark chuckled. “Of course. He told me that you're in honor society and you have a 3.9 GPA.”

“You told him that?” You turned to Peter with a whine. “I'm still so mad at myself for losing my 4.0.”

Mr. Stark looked surprised. “A 3.9 is still amazing, _y/n_.”

“That's what I'm always telling her!” Peter chimed in with a chuckle.

Your cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Please, call me Tony.” He responded with a smile.

You smiled back. “Alright, Tony.”

“Do you mind if I steal Peter for a minute?”

“Of course not.” You pressed a kiss to Peter's cheek, chuckling at the red stain it left, before he and Mr. Stark walked into a private corner of the room.

You flagged down a waiter for a glass of cider, sipping it as you milled about. You had thought that this party was mostly Stark Industries staff with a few of Mr. St- **Tony** ’s friends, so you nearly fainted when you spotted Bruce Banner having a conversation with Steve Rogers.

Luckily, Peter chose that moment to rejoin you. You steadied yourself by placing both your arms on his shoulders. “Peter,”

“_y/n_,” Peter said teasingly back.

You glared at him. “You didn't tell me the Avengers would be here!”

“I'm an Avenger. I thought you knew this was an Avengers thing.” Peter said apologetically.

“I thought it was an Iron Man and a Spider-Man and a Pepper Potts thing.” You glanced over at Steve and Bruce again, and Peter felt you sway against him.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked gently.

“I've been in love with Captain America since they pulled him out of the ice.” You admitted. “This is so surreal.”

“Do you want me to introduce you?”

Your eyes widened. “Yes. No.” A beat of silence. “Maybe. I don't know.”

Peter chuckled, leading you over to the couch where they were sitting.

“Hey Steve, hey Bruce.” Peter interrupted quietly. They both looked up at him and smiled.

“Peter!” Bruce said cheerfully at the same time Steve said “Hey, Pete!”.

Peter gently pulled you so that you were in front of him. “This is my girlfriend, _y/n_. She's a huge fan of you both.”

“Oh, is she?” Steve asked teasingly, standing up so he could shake your hand. “It's very nice to meet you, _y/n_.”

“It's nice to meet you too.” You managed to get out, even though your voice was shaking.

Peter's hand moved to the small of your back, rubbing soothing circles against your skin.

Dr. Banner stood up so he could shake your hand too. “Peter has told me a lot about you. He said you're considering a career in biochemistry?”

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear nervously. “Yes, I'm thinking about it. Your work with biochemistry is incredible. So is your work with nuclear physics and gamma radiation, but I was always much more interested in lessons about you when they were focused on the biochemistry aspect of your career.”

You turned to look at Steve once again. “I also loved learning about you in my history class! I hate those stupid videos of you that they play for **every single thing** , though.”

Steve chuckled. “I hated filming them.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “No way!”

“I'm going to go talk to some of the others,” Peter chimed in softly. “I trust you two can handle her?”

“What's that supposed to mean?” You asked, arching your eyebrows at him defensively.

Peter held his hands up placatingly. “Nothing. I'll come find you in a bit?”

“Okay.” You wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “I love you.”

Peter looked startled but only for a half a second. “I love you too. Keep her out of trouble!” Peter shouted as he walked away.

You rolled your eyes at him. Steve and Bruce made space for you on the couch so you could sit between them.

It wasn't until ten minutes later when you and Steve were having a rousing discussion about truth, honor, and patriotism that you realized you had told Peter you loved him.

You hoped that he would just assume it was you playing your part as his girlfriend, but you knew that that wasn't why you said it.

While pretending to be Peter’s girlfriend, you had fallen in love with him for real.

Oh, you were _so_ unbelievably screwed.

\----------

You didn't see Peter again until about eleven. After talking with Steve and Bruce for almost an hour, you had wandered around the party and accidentally bumped into some of the other Avengers.

Natasha Romanoff was even more beautiful in person, and she tried several times to get you to let her make you a drink.

You declined each time, but you admired her persistence. She also had told you that Clint Barton was spending the new year with his family, which surprised you because you hadn't known that Hawkeye had a family.

You heard through the grapevine that Wanda Maximoff and Vision were spending the holiday together in Scotland, which you thought was sweet.

You nearly got knocked over by Sam Wilson, who was engaged in a heated debate with none other than Bucky Barnes about who was really Steve Rogers’ best friend. They both apologized immediately, and you enjoyed chatting with them for a while.

Shortly after that, you had witnessed Tony and James “Rhodey” Rhodes arm wrestling each other over what you thought was the last eclair, which had made you laugh.

You were lost in thought when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind, and you turned your head immediately.

“Hey, Pete.” You breathed out, realizing suddenly just how close he was to you.

“Hi.” Peter responded, and he sounded just as breathless as you. “Are you enjoying the party?”

You nodded as you leaned back, relaxing into his arms. “It's been fun. I missed you, though. And I haven't met Thor yet.”

“Do you want to? We can go look for him.”

You smiled at him. “Only if you want to.”

“Are you kidding me? I love Thor. Let's go find him.” And then you and Peter were holding hands and squeezing through the crowd until, at last, you found the God of Thunder. He was so much larger in person.

“Hi, Thor!” Peter said brightly.

“Ah, Peter, man of Spider, good to finally see you.” Peter gently pushed you in front of him. “And who is this?” Thor asked, giving you a charming smile.

“This is my girlfriend, _y/n_.”

“I didn't know you had a girlfriend. Is she an arachnid too?”

You chuckled nervously. “Nope, I'm just a normal, boring human.”

“There is nothing normal or boring about you humans. It is very nice to meet you, Lady _y/n_.” Thor took your hand but instead of shaking it, he pressed a kiss to your knuckles.

“It's nice to meet you too.” You responded, and Peter smiled to himself when he noticed that your cheeks were red. He had the same reaction when he met Thor for the first time.

“You know, if I still had Mjölnir, I think that your beloved would be able to wield it.”

You turned to look at Peter with a soft smile. “I think you're right.” You agreed.

You noticed then that everyone was counting down the seconds to the new year, and Thor excused himself, murmuring something about looking for Bruce.

You were only half paying attention to him, your eyes locked on Peter since you realized it was almost midnight.

_3_

You and Peter took a step closer to each other.

_2_

Peter’s eyes flicked down to your lips, and you knew you weren't mistaking the look in his eyes. Peter wanted to kiss you.

_1_

Your arms wrapped loosely around his neck as you allowed your own gaze to dart down to Peter’s lips.

_Happy New Year!_

You heard people shouting and cheering and then Peter's lips met yours and the background noise quickly faded away. Peter brought a hand up to cup your cheek, deepening the kiss, and you felt like you were floating. Kissing Peter, really kissing him, like you were doing now, was everything you had dreamed of and more.

His lips were so, so soft against yours, and when you felt him smile into the kiss, you thought your heart was going to burst. Peter was everything you had ever wanted, and he was currently kissing you like he couldn't get enough.

When you finally broke apart, you pressed your forehead to his as you caught your breath. You felt dizzy, in a good way, and your heart felt warm and fuzzy.

You heard a whistle to your right, and you looked over sheepishly to see Tony giving Peter a thumbs up.

You rolled your eyes; you weren't upset, just a little embarrassed, before resting your head on Peter’s chest. You were suddenly overcome with sleepiness.

He stroked your hair gently. “Do you wanna go home?”

You nodded.

“There’s a guest room on the second floor if you don't want to drive all the way home.” You hadn't even heard Tony come over, but apparently he had because he was in the middle of handing a key card to Peter when you lazily blinked open your eyes. “Morning, sunshine.” Tony said teasingly.

You straightened up and grabbed the key from Peter. “Thanks, Tony. C’mon Peter.” You were dragging Peter towards the elevator before he could protest.

You seemed much more awake once you were in the elevator. “Sorry to rush out of there.” You murmured sheepishly. “I was a little embarrassed. Not because of you!” You said quickly. “The kiss was great, I just felt embarrassed because of how many people saw it.”

Peter brushed his thumb across your cheek gently. “I understand, _y/n_. It's totally fine.” To emphasize his point, he leaned in and kissed you again.

Which, of course, made you ten times **more** confused. It was easy to say that for your New Year’s kiss, Peter had just gotten caught up in the moment. But kissing you when there was no around to see? That was hard to ignore.

“Peter-” You wanted to ask if he liked you back, but the elevator dinged as you reached the second floor, and the moment passed.

You made your way to the room that matched the number on your key card, swiping it and entering the room easily.

The room looked like it used to be an office, but it had since been turned into something reminiscent of a hotel suite. There was a large bed that looked like heaven, and you wanted nothing more than to flop down on it.

But Mr. Stark had given you the dress you were wearing and you didn't want to ruin it. You hadn't thought to bring any extra clothes with you.

“Hey, Peter, can I please borrow your shirt? This dress will be super uncomfortable to sleep in and I don't have anything else.”

Before you even finished your question, Peter was unbuttoning his shirt and tossing his bowtie on a nearby chair.

“Here you go.” Peter said sweetly, letting his fingertips brush your hand as he handed it to you.

“Thank you, Petey.” You moved to unzip your dress before realizing that you couldn't reach the zipper. “Can you do me one more favor?” You asked sheepishly, gesturing to the zipper on your dress.

Peter moved behind you, his hands trailing down your shoulders then to your back as he carefully unzipped your dress. His breath on your neck made you shiver.

“Thank you.” You said quietly, stepping out of your dress and pulling Peter's shirt on. You didn't notice the longing look Peter shot in your direction as he took his pants off.

Your heart caught in your throat when you turned around and realized that you'd be sharing a bed with Peter, who was wearing only a thin white tank top and a pair of boxers. He looked gorgeous.

You pushed those thoughts out of your head and climbed into bed cautiously, and Peter followed. You were pleasantly surprised when Peter placed a hand on your waist and gently pulled you closer to him.

“Good night, _y/n_.”

“Good night, Peter.”

\----------

When you woke up, you were alone in the bed. You were a little disappointed, as Peter was even more adorable than normal when he was sleepy.

You lazily climbed out of bed and checked your phone, surprised to see that it was almost eleven thirty. You saw that Peter had texted you twenty minutes ago, telling you that he had gone out to get breakfast.

Just as you read the text, Peter pushed open the door. He was carrying two cups of orange juice, a box of donuts, and a box of muffins. He also had a bag on his shoulder.

“Here, let me help you.” You took the cup carrier from him gently.

“Thank you.” Peter deposited the boxes on the bed while you set the drinks on the nightstand. He then shyly handed you the bag from his shoulder.

You raised an eyebrow at him as you opened it. There was a white t-shirt that said _Manhattan_ on it in curly script along with an outline of Manhattan’s skyline and a pair of leggings.

“I thought this might be more comfortable for the ride home than your dress or my shirt.” Peter said teasingly. You looked up at him with a smile and noticed that he was wearing the same shirt he got you. You also noticed that his hair was tangled and much curlier than usual, and you had to fight the urge to run your fingers through it.

“Thank you, Peter.” You brushed a light kiss to his cheek, which made his cheeks darken, before going to the far corner of the room so Peter could start on breakfast while you changed.

When you came back over, you sunk down on the bed next to Peter. You sat with your leg pressed against his so he could balance the donut box between you, and you immediately noticed the pleasant warmth radiating from the contact.

You ate in comfortable silence before packing up the remaining muffins and your clothes and heading down to the first floor.

Tony and Pepper appeared to be waiting for you.

“_y/n_, it was so nice to meet you. If you ever want to go out for brunch or you just want a girls’ day out, feel free to call me.” Pepper said, pulling you into a quick hug.

“I definitely will.” You promised. “It was lovely meeting you.”

Mr. Stark gave Peter a hug before moving in front of you. You were a little surprised when he pulled you into a hug, too.

“Keep him out of trouble for me, please.” He whispered so that only you could hear him.

You smiled conspiratorially at him. “Of course I will.”

You and Peter waved goodbye as you walked out the door of the building and made your way to Peter’s car.

You offered to drive home since he had driven you up the night before, but he insisted it was fine, so you decided not to argue.

Once again, you and Peter sang along to the radio together, laughing and smiling with each other. With his shirt that matched yours and his messy hair, he had never looked more handsome, and you couldn't help your gaze from landing on him every so often.

The drive was over too soon, and you were actually quite sad when Peter arrived at your house.

Peter parked and opened your door for you, so you reluctantly you got out of the car. He walked you to your front door.

“I had a lot of fun last night. And this morning.” Peter murmured quietly, his eyes locked on yours.

“Me too.” You responded softly. Peter brought one of his hands up to cup your cheek before leaning in and kissing you gently. You kissed him back just as gently, and you decided to give into your urge from earlier, running your fingers through his hair.

“_y/n_, I-” Whatever Peter was about to say had been cut short as your father opened the door. You sprung apart from each other immediately.

“Thank you for driving her, Peter. How was Mr. Stark’s party?”

“It was good, really good, Mr. _l/n_.”

“That's good to hear.” He clapped Peter on the shoulder as you walked into your house.

“Bye, Peter.” You waved at him, and he waved back before turning around and getting in his car. He was gone before you could ask what he was going to tell you.

\----------

Almost four months had passed since Mr. Stark's party. Neither of you brought up what you were going to say to Peter in the elevator, or what Peter was going to say on your porch.

You had avoided bringing it up because you were scared. At Mr. Stark's party, you had been almost positive that Peter liked you back, but after the party, your relationship had gone back to holding hands and cheek kisses and the occasional peck on the lips.

You hadn't _really_ kissed Peter since the morning after Mr. Stark's party, and it was starting to make you sad.

You didn't know what to do about it. Your relationship, despite your ever-growing feelings for Peter, was fake, whether you liked it or not, and you didn't feel like it was your place to ask for longer kisses (even though you wanted to).

And then Peter started acting really weird and secretive around you. He started spending more time with MJ and Ned, which was fine, except you were never included. And it hurt.

“Hey, Peter, you wanna go get dinner today?” You asked cheerfully as you sat down beside him at lunch.

“I'm busy, sorry.” Peter said shortly, writing something down in a notebook.

“Oh. Okay.” You were silent the rest of lunch and ended up excusing yourself early to go to your next class.

Ned and MJ shared a look.

“Peter, you can't keep blowing her off.” Ned said gently, which made Peter look up at him.

“Huh?”

MJ rolled her eyes. “She asked if you wanted to get dinner tonight, and you said you were busy.”

“I am busy. I want this to be perfect.”

“I understand that you want your promposal to be awesome,” Ned chimed in. “But it doesn't matter how awesome it is if she doesn't want to go with you.”

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. “You don't think she'll want to go with me?”

“Not if you keep brushing her off. Just go get dinner with her tonight and finish up your invite this weekend or something. There's not a time limit to asking her.” MJ said reasonably.

Peter nodded in understanding. “Alright, thank you both.”

\----------

You were mindlessly watching TV in your room when your phone buzzed against your thigh.

_dinner tonight? my treat :P_

You rolled your eyes before sending a text back.

_I'd rather just stay home tonight, but thank you._

You were startled when only a few moments later you heard a knock on your window. Turning your head, you were surprised to see your very own fake boyfriend, Peter Parker.

You climbed out of bed and opened your window to let him in. He was wearing his Spidey suit, but that wasn't what intrigued you. You were much more interested in the box of pizza he was holding.

“I didn't say we had to go out for dinner.” Peter said, smiling at you as sat down on your bed.

“What kind of pizza did you get?” You asked as you cautiously sat next to him.

“Your favorite, of course.” He flipped the lid open to reveal it to you.

You inhaled the rich scent of cheese and tomato sauce and various other toppings.

“You sure know the way to a girl’s heart, Parker.”

You were too busy eying the pizza to notice the blush on Peter's cheeks at your words. You ate in companionable silence until you decided to bring up the elephant in the room.

“Why have you been so secretive recently, Petey? I know I'm not really your girlfriend, but it hurts when you don't tell me things.” You were embarrassed to ask, but you needed to know the truth.

“It's easier if I show you.” Peter said, standing up and making his over to your window. He held a hand out to you. “Do you trust me?”

“Are you quoting Aladdin at me right now?” You asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe.”

You chuckled and took his hand. “Of course I trust you.”

“Hold on tight.”

“What? Where are we go-HOLY SHIT PETER!!” Peter had stepped onto your roof, which wasn't that bad, but then the next thing you knew, you were soaring through the air as Peter used his webs to swing you from building to building.

It was absolutely terrifying at first, but after you got over the fear, you realized just how fun and exhilarating it was. You were flying through beautiful New York with your beautiful fake boyfriend.

You kept your arms wrapped tightly around Peter's neck as you admired the city that surrounded you. Your hair whipped around your face, and the chilly evening air nipped at your skin, but you loved it. You were kind of jealous that Peter got to do this all the time.

“Wow.” You murmured quietly. “This is so beautiful, Peter.”

“Yeah, it is.” Peter definitely _wasn't_ looking at the cityscape when he responded.

After about an hour of swinging around the city, you and Peter ended up stopping on top of a building that was significantly taller than many of the buildings in New York.

There was a picnic blanket for you to sit on and some candles, meaning that Peter had picked this building specifically.

You and Peter sat down next to each other, Peter catching his breath and you trying to regain some feeling in your arms.

“Hey, you never answered my question!” You announced indignantly when you remembered the conversation at your house.

Peter chuckled and stood up, gesturing for you to follow. You did so curiously.

“Look.” Peter was at the edge of the building, and he nodded with his head for you to look down.

It didn't take you long to figure out what he wanted you to see. Strung across at least thirty buildings were giant letters. P R O M

You turned to look at Peter, who was holding a piece of paper with a question mark on it.

“You did all this...for me?” You asked softly as you felt your eyes tearing up. Peter was the sweetest person you had ever met

Peter shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, but it was, it was a huge deal. “Yeah. I wanted it to be special.”

“And that was why you've been so secretive with me.” You murmured in understanding. “You wanted Ned and MJ’s help in figuring out what route you should take and what buildings you should use.”

Peter nodded before he spoke. “Am I forgiven?” Peter asked, holding his arms out for a hug.

You rolled your eyes as you stepped into the embrace. “I wasn't mad at you, Pete, just sad. But yeah, you're forgiven.”

Peter smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “So?”

“Of course I'll go to prom with you.” Peter's smile widened at your words, which you thought was odd, because going to prom together had been on your list.

“Did you like it?” Peter asked after a moment of comfortable silence. You were still locked in an embrace so you tilted your head up to look at him.

“Like it? Peter, I loved it. It was so thoughtful and seeing the city with you was amazing and-” Peter interrupted your sentence as he covered your mouth with his.

You were momentarily startled before you began kissing him back. His hands slipped down to your waist, pulling you closer to him. You fisted a hand in his hair, tugging gently, and when Peter moaned softly, you slipped your tongue in his mouth.

His tongue met yours, playfully dancing with it, before you needed to catch your breath so you broke the kiss.

Your eyes met Peter’s, and they were so soft and warm and full of love, and you were positive that Peter could hear how loudly your heart was hammering in your chest.

“I'm in love with you.” You whispered, and you were relieved when Peter gave you a huge, blinding smile.

“And I am _so_ in love with you.” Peter murmured back, and you sagged against him in relief.

“Thank god.”

“How long?” Peter asked curiously, but you were a little distracted by the hand that was stroking through your hair.

You felt your cheeks flame. “I've had a crush on you since about a month before you asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend. And I realized I was in love with you at Mr. Stark's party.”

“So about the same, then. I think I had a crush on you before you agreed to fake date me, but when you spent the night at my house and you curled up next to me, I knew for sure that I did. And I also realized that I was in love with you at Mr. Stark's party when you told me you loved me and kissed me.”

“So what I'm hearing is we could've been dating for real this whole time?” You asked with a chuckle.

Peter started laughing too. “Yeah, I guess you're right. For a couple of geniuses, we're pretty dumb.”

“The dumbest.” You agreed before kissing Peter again because you _finally_ could.

\----------

Peter was late for dinner, which wasn’t all that surprising, except that he hadn’t called you first. Usually if he got hung up on something, he would give you a call.

Your fingers was hovering over the call button when you heard rapid tapping on your window. You immediately opened it, and you were surprised to find Peter there, dressed in his Spider-Man suit and holding a very smelly dog.

“I’m so sorry I’m late for dinner.” Peter said apologetically, climbing in the window and moving to sit down on your bed.

“You are not putting that dog on my bed.” You said immediately, and Peter’s face fell.

“But Sandwich-”

“Needs a bath first.” You said firmly, scooping the dog out of his arms and carrying him to your bathroom. You plugged the drain and started to let the water fill up the tub. “Where did you find him?” You asked curiously, digging around under the sink until you found the half full bottle of dog shampoo.

“He was in a box in an alley when I was on patrol. I gave him a sandwich I found in the dumpster so he would let me pick him up. We can’t have dogs at our apartment, so I thought maybe he could stay with you for a bit.”

Peter knew that you already had a dog (Dozer, who he adored) so he was hoping you’d be able to convince your parents to let you keep Sandwich. It would break his heart to have to give Sandwich to a pound.

You chuckled as you carefully put Sandwich in the tub, spraying him with some lukewarm water and beginning to wash the dirt and grime from his fur. “Once he’s all cleaned up, there’s no way mom and dad will be able to say no.”

Peter chuckled and moved to help you bathe Sandwich. You stopped him with one arm.

“Nuh uh, you’re still wearing your suit and you’re gonna get it all wet.” Peter frowned.

“But I wanna help.”

“There’s some money on my desk, why don’t you go get us some subs? Sandwich deserves a good sandwich, not a dumpster sandwich.”

“It was all I had!” Peter said indignantly.

“I know, Pete.” You said, pulling him towards you with your dry hand to peck his lips. “But he wants a fresh one now, doesn’t he?” You asked, scratching Sandwich’s chin. His tail was wagging furiously and splashing water everywhere, but you couldn’t find it in you to be mad.

“Okay.” Peter agreed reluctantly. “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything cute while I’m gone!” Peter said, pointing a finger at Sandwich.

You chuckled to yourself as Peter walked out of the bathroom, grumbling to himself. You shampooed Sandwich until the water ran clear, draining the dirty water and beginning to wrap Sandwich in a towel.

You hadn’t realized that Peter had left the door open, and you gulped as your dad walked by, peeking his head in.

“Whatcha got there?” He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at the dog in your arms.

“This is Sandwich. He’s a stray Peter found.” Your dad’s expression was carefully blank, so you decided just to go for it. “Can we keep him?” You asked hopefully, and you were surprised when Sandwich jumped out of your arms and ran to your dad, the towel draped over him like a poncho.

Your dad smiled and picked up the damp dog, chuckling when Sandwich licked his nose.

“He can stay if he and Dozer get along, and if you and Peter start walking him and Dozer everyday.”

“Of course.” You agreed immediately. You were sure Dozer and Sandwich would get along great, and you and Peter walked Dozer almost everyday, anyway. “Thank you thank you thank you!” You wrapped your arms around your dad’s neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“You’re welcome.” Your dad said, handing Sandwich back to you. He gave you another smile before making his way downstairs.

You grinned as you brought Sandwich back into your room, drying him off as best you could with the towel. “Did you hear that, buddy? You get to live with me.” You said excitedly, and Sandwich barked happily and licked your cheek.

You tossed the towel on the floor when you thought Sandwich was sufficiently dry, allowing him to roam around on your bed as you waited for Peter to get back with the sandwiches.

You found Dozer’s brush and began carefully using it to brush Sandwich. He arched towards it, clearing enjoying the attention. By the time Peter crawled in through your window, Sandwich looked like a completely new dog. His brown fur was shiny, and his eyes were bright and happy.

“Sandwich can stay!” You cheered as Peter handed you a sub.

“Really?” Peter asked in excitement, immediately beginning to pet and stroke Sandwich’s fur.

“Dad said yes as long as you and me walk him and Dozer everyday.” You said, taking a bite of your sandwich while Peter began feeding a meatball sub to Sandwich.

“That’s all?” Peter questioned in disbelief. “We already walk Dozer all the time anyway.”

“I know right? Isn’t this awesome?”

Peter nodded in agreement as Sandwich happily licked his fingers clean of all the remaining marinara sauce.

You finished your sandwich and flopped down on your bed, smiling as Peter curled up across from you, and Sandwich wiggled in between you.

“I love you, you know that?” Peter said quietly, and your heart swelled.

“I do, but it’s always nice to hear it.” You leaned over and kissed him sweetly, laughing as Sandwich started licking your chin. “I love you too.”

Peter smiled at you, and you turned on Netflix so you and Peter could relax, with Sandwich snoozing contently in the middle of your bed. You had never been happier that Peter had asked you to be his fake girlfriend than you were in that moment.

In addition to getting a real boyfriend, you had met the Avengers _and_ ended up with one of the cutest dogs on the planet. Life was good.

End. <3

**Author's Note:**

> I have a semi-smutty little extra scene that I’m gonna post separately because I wanted the focus of this story to be fluff. If anyone wants me to write about Reader and Peter going to prom, or you’d like a full smut scene set in this universe, let me know! <3 I really love this universe obviously lol


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